Purdue offering vet management program

PURDUE University's Krannert School of Management and College of Veterinary Medicine are teaming up to offer veterinarians and their staffs graduate-level business skills.

The new Veterinary Practice Management Program (VPMP) provides 72 hours of instruction to help veterinary professionals manage the business side of their practices, according to an announcement.

"Veterinarians and their staffs face an increasingly competitive business environment," Willie Reed, dean of veterinary medicine, said. "Changes range from new and expensive advances in surgical equipment and medical treatments to practice consolidations and pet superstores. VPMP is designed to help them meet these challenges."

The program is held at Purdue's campus in West Lafayette, Ind. Courses draw upon Krannert faculty and resources as well as guest faculty selected for their academic credentials and experience in management.

The course is divided into four modules: human resource management, accounting management, marketing and strategic thinking. Participants follow the modules in order. This allows them to implement ideas in their practices as they move through the program and interact with faculty from previous modules to discuss the progress they are making, according to the announcement.

"Krannert faculty and staff have designed VPMP for veterinarians, veterinary practice technicians and the practice team manager with business decision-making responsibility," Krannert dean P. Christopher Earley said. "Our goal is to help the team improve profitability, gain a competitive advantage and ensure long-term success."

The program draws on more than 20 years of experience of Krannert faculty who previously offered veterinary management instruction through a program called the Veterinary Management Institute. The new collaboration between Krannert and the College of Veterinary Medicine incorporates the institute's strengths but targets a broader range of veterinary professionals and fosters more networking and interaction among colleagues, program faculty and alumni.